The Issue No One Is Talking About That Might Swing Wisconsin | Opinion
In 2016, then Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton did not visit Wisconsin, and became the first Democrat running for president to not carry the state since 1984. Vice President Kamala Harris will not be repeating that mistake, having been to the Badger State nearly a dozen times over the last few months. She will likely be back again.
Tuesday, she may have just made her biggest move to win Wisconsin yet, going on ABC 's "The View" and announcing her plan to expand Medicare, called Medicare at Home, to cover long-term care. That same day, Senior Voters for Care Wisconsin, released a poll, conducted by Hart Research Associates, of likely voters in Wisconsin over 55.
Wisconsin is a rapidly aging state. Forward Analytics, the research arm of the Wisconsin Association of Counties, reports that in the next five years the number of Wisconsin residents 75 or older is expected to increase by 41 percent, growing from 407,000 to 574,000. This population is the prime consumer of assisted living and nursing home facilities.
The issue of nursing homes has been front and center in Wisconsin . This summer there has been a concerted push by rural county boards to privatize county-owned nursing homes. The issue has stirred up a hornet's nest, with small-town seniors flooding into county board meetings, marching in local parades, and giving county board members hell every step of the way. Meetings and rallies to protest privatization have been attended by Democrats , Republicans and Independents.
There has already been evidence that this issue has resonance at the polls, with two county board chairs who sought to privatize care in their communities being voted out in Wisconsin's spring elections.
The issue is so hot, that Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, traveled all the way to Baraboo Wisconsin , population 12,000, to meet with residents trying to fight off privatization of their county-owned nursing. In a packed meeting residents shared stories of the long-term care crisis, and how the privatization of care across the state was making it less affordable and worsening its quality.
Senior Voters for Care's poll, conducted by Hart Research Associates, surveyed 800 likely voters over 55. The findings point to bipartisan support for leadership on the issue, and scores big points with independents and swing voters alike.
The most popular solution among seniors in Wisconsin was government support to raise wages to attract and retain long-term care workers in smaller towns and rural communities. Ninety-three percent of the people polled supported this measure, including 87 percent of Republicans and 93 percent of independents.
Nearly as popular was expanding Medicaid to increase access to necessary long-term care, with 87 percent overall backing this initiative, including 93 percent of independents.
This is a big deal, because Harris' announcement on care is essentially that, though even better in that it expands one of the most popular social programs in the country, Medicare. Chances are this proposal would have polled even better than the question that was asked, because through Medicare this benefit would be available to all of us, while Medicaid is only available to those of us that have incomes and wealth low enough to qualify. Many families spend down their savings to qualify for Medicaid.
Senior Voters for Care's poll revealed that if voters found out a candidate had a plan to provide more funding for long-term care to ensure that those who need it can access it, that seventy-one percent of swing voters and 64 percent of independent voters said it would make them view that candidate more favorably.
Harris just came out with a very clear and ambitious plan. Currently former President Donald Trump has not spoken on the issue. That could be a problem for him as he is already doing more poorly than expected with the senior vote. CNN reported last week that their most recent poll has Kamala Harris leading Trump 50 percent to 46 percent among senior citizens. Their survey of voters is not an outlier. The average poll has Harris up by 3 points over Trump among seniors.
The eldercare crisis is nationwide, and it's especially big in rapidly aging states like Wisconsin. The candidate who leans big on the issue of care in the coming weeks might just take home this prized swing state, the presidency, and then be positioned to deliver on an issue that means so much to all of us.
George Goehl is director of Addition Action, an organization that works to bring the voices of working class and rural people into the national conversation. He is the host of the podcast To See Each Other, which, this season, follows small-town seniors in Wisconsin fighting off privatization of their beloved county-owned nursing homes.
The views expressed in this are the writer's own.
